


The Road to Destiny is Paved With Good Intentions

by shiny_starlight



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Community: summerpornathon, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 13:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiny_starlight/pseuds/shiny_starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before her marriage to Arthur, Gwen goes for a walk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Road to Destiny is Paved With Good Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> Written before the whole Arthur/Gwen romance started on the show so wildly AU
> 
> Originally posted on the summerpornathon community on lj on 7/08/2009
> 
> The prompt was Voyeurism

Gwen slipped silently down the darkened hallway, hoping she wouldn’t run into anyone. It wouldn’t do for the future queen of Camelot to be seen sneaking around in the middle of the night before her wedding, after all. A large part of her still couldn’t believe all this was happening. She was going to be queen of Camelot. When Arthur had asked her, she had sworn to him that she loved the Kingdom and would do everything in her power to serve faithfully. And it was true; she loved Camelot and she loved Arthur.

Oh, she wasn’t in love with him, and neither was he with her. But Arthur insisted that he needed a Queen ‘of the people’, whom his subjects could relate to and vice versa. Gwen had been proud and not a little flattered that one of her oldest friends thought so highly of her and had agreed. But now... the doubts and nerves that she had kept at bay for so long had set in. She needed to see Arthur one more time, just to make sure that they were doing the right thing.

She knocked on the door to Arthur’s antechamber and pushed it open when she got no reply. The room before her was in darkness, but the light that shone from under his bedchamber door pinpointed his location. The door was slightly ajar and Gwen could see Arthur sitting in his favourite chair, drinking wine. She was once again about to knock when another figure moved across her line of sight.

Merlin.

Of course.

It made sense for Arthur to spend tonight with his best friend. Merlin perched on the table next to his King, not breaking the silence between them. Presently, Gwen saw Arthur’s hand creep across the table top to settle next to Merlin’s. He reached out with one finger, and gently stroked along the pale length of Merlin’s hand. Merlin stiffened, and started to pull his hand away but Arthur’s hand shot out, clasping Merlin’s own.

“Arthur, we’ve been over this,” he whispered. “You’re getting married tomorrow...”

“It’s not tomorrow yet,” Arthur insisted.

“Still, Gwen is my friend and I won’t betray her.”

“Merlin, Gwen is a good woman. She is kind and strong and honest. I do love her. But I’m not in love with her. You know I...”

“Shh.” Merlin hushed him with a hand to his lips.

“From tomorrow, she will be my wife. I will do my best to make her happy and be a good husband. I will honour the woman she is by being faithful. But we both know where my heart truly lies. Merlin... one night. It’s all I ask. Just one night for us, before destiny and duty constrain us both.”

“Arthur...” Gwen could see Merlin wavering, trying to be strong. Arthur tugged him closer so he slid off the table into his lap. She saw him tangle his free hand in Merlin’s hair as he pulled the sorcerer down for a kiss. And she saw the exact moment Merlin gave in. His shoulders lost their stiffness and he leaned into the kiss, winding one arm around his King’s neck.

Gwen knew she should leave. Knew she should walk way and let them have their moment.  
But she couldn’t.

She stayed rooted to the spot as Arthur tore his lips from Merlin’s and pushed his robes up and over the pale body. She heard the wet sound as he sucked his way down Merlin’s neck and across his collarbones, and heard Merlin’s answering groan of pleasure. She lost herself in the movement of their limbs; urgent and clumsy as they stood and tore the clothes from their bodies. Merlin pushed Arthur back down in his chair, before straddling his thighs and moving his hips, eliciting groans of pleasure from both men. She gasped as Merlin’s eyes shone gold and a bottle of oil flew from the dresser into his hand. He ripped out the cork with his teeth and poured some into his hand. Gwen couldn’t see from the angle what he did with it, but whatever it was, it made Arthur shout and buck his hips upwards. Hands grasped at sweat-slick skin and their voices joined together as they shouted their release and slumped together, panting heavily.

Gwen moved backwards into the room behind her. She had her answer.

Arthur was willing to give up his everything, his love, his passion, for his people. So could she.

Tomorrow she would meet him at the altar, and every day after that, she would show him the same faithfulness he would give her.


End file.
